- HBO’s hit fantasy series, "Game of Thrones," concluded on Sunday with another divisive episode.
- Critics haven’t treated the show’s final season kindly, and the last three episodes have "rotten" scores on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
HBO’s hit series "Game of Thrones" came to an end on Sunday after eight seasons. The show’s final episode, "The Iron Throne," has been just as divisive as the rest of the season among critics and fans alike.
The final season started off on a positive note with the first episode, "Winterfell," which received an impressive 92% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. But the episode scores have plummeted since then, with the show’s penultimate episode, "The Bells," sitting at an abysmal 47%.
READ MORE: 7 upcoming HBO TV shows viewers can look forward to after ‘Game of Thrones’ ends
Season eight is the show’s worst-reviewed season, with a 70% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. The other seven seasons never dipped below 90%. The audience score is also the worst at 37% based on over 8,800 user ratings.
"Game of Thrones" is one of the biggest shows of all time, so viewers had hefty expectations for the shortened, six-episode final season. The low scores indicate that it didn’t stick the landing for many viewers.
Below is the Rotten Tomatoes critic score for each episode and what critics had to say about them, along with a chart comparing the episodes.
Season 8, Episode 1: "Winterfell"
HBO
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 92%
What critics said: "After a two-year gap and a dragon’s-feast worth of hype, fans probably wanted grand plot movements. Instead, they got a buffet of inevitabilities … Yet I’d argue that this was one of the best Thrones episodes in a long time." — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic
Season 8, Episode 2: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"
HBO
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 88%
What critics said: "Last week’s season premiere was all about setting the table — reunions, recriminations and churning out great big meaty chunks of plot to get everyone up to speed. Now that the table’s set, the series decided to take a step back to admire its handiwork — how well they lit the candles and folded the napkins into the shapes of swans or what have you." — Glen Weldon, NPR
Season 8, Episode 3: "The Long Night"
HBO
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75%
What critics said: "I do love ‘Game of Thrones,’ but in the middle of ‘The Long Night,’ my love was tested. The effort to pepper the battle with human set pieces lost out to shadowy bluster." — Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- 22 details in the ‘Game of Thrones’ finale you might have missed
- The 4 HBO shows that are better than ‘Game of Thrones,’ according to critics
- 7 upcoming HBO TV shows viewers can look forward to after ‘Game of Thrones’ ends
SEE ALSO: The 4 HBO shows that are better than ‘Game of Thrones,’ according to critics
Source: Business Insider – tclark@businessinsider.com (Travis Clark)